The Face of God
by Dreamstrider
Summary: Sequel to A Magic Beyond All Else. I had to republish this after accidentally taking it off;this is old, OLD work. Keep in mind this is part two of my first work, so don't be too hard on me. Currently on HIATUS because I stopped caring a long time ago.
1. Chapter 1

"Ring out the bells upon this day of days!

May all the angels of the Lord above

In jubilation sing their songs of praise,

And crown this blessed time with peace and love!"

How fitting. What a beautiful wedding chorale from a wonderful musical. And what the perfect one to be sung at the wedding of Zachary Martin and Madeline Fitzpatrick. Victor Hugo's words still worked wonders, whether they are used in 1862, or 2021.

This wedding was the newest in a long list of pretty astounding changes in the life of the Martins and their friends. The first had been when Caroline Martin, the twin's mother, had married Arwin Hawkhauser, the Boston Tipton Hotel's engineer. This had been a surprise to everyone, but somehow it seemed as if it was destined to happen some time or another.

The next was when London Tipton married Todd St. Mark, the dentist and son of the owner of the St. Marks hotel chain. This was a surprise mostly because the rest of them, quite frankly, had forgotten Todd, he not having had such an important impact on their lives. Although the London and Todd's close family friends were supportive and joyous, their fathers were not so much. London and Todd were disinherited and so were now middle class. Never thought you'd be hearing that, did you?

The next thing that happened, this one not so surprising, was the marriage of Bailey Picket and Cody Martin two years earlier. Though definitely not as surprising as Carrie's marriage to Arwin, this was still another happy moment for the Martin family. Just two years into their marriage, Bailey was already eight months pregnant. Zack had been Best Man at their wedding, while Mary Lou, a girl from Bailey's hometown was Maid of Honor. But who could be the Godparents? Even Zack was not so self-centered as to except both the honor of Best Man and Godfather, and besides, he hadn't been married at the time. So the person they had asked had been none other than Robert Schaffer.

Speaking of Robert, something had happened to him, too. He had married a girl named Rachel Sayegh. They had been married for four years now. Already, they had a two-month old baby boy as their own. Although there was no family link, Robert had essentially been the reason that Cody and Bailey were still on the face of this earth, so he did deserve the title of Godfather to their child. Rachel, by default became the Godmother.

And then Zack, who had been dating Maddie for 6 months, proposed to her. She accepted, and the Martin family had one more union to celebrate. Everyone was happy; it seemed as if everyone's relationships had finally sorted themselves out. Robert had also identified every one of these unions as it happened as an Origin-pair bond. So five Origin-pairs were now bound by marriage; Arwin and Carrie, Maddie and Zack, Robert and Rachel, Cody and Bailey, and London and Todd.

"I now pronounce you man and wife," said the priest at the top of the alter. "You may now kiss the bride."

Zack and Maddie pressed their lips together in a passionate kiss. And it was done. Nothing of any really important noting after that happened until the reception, which took place in the Boston Tipton's ballroom.

Everybody was dancing and having a great time. But what happened next would shatter the future of the world forever.


	2. Chapter 2

_But what happened next would shatter the future of the world forever._

There had been food and cheer towards the beginning of the reception, but now there was just a slowing down, and people were mostly dancing. A few people were sitting down, including Bailey and Cody. Being 8 months pregnant, it was surprise that Bailey even managed to dance in the beginning, let alone the end.

Then one of the ushers came over to Maddie and said "we have a surprise for you. One of your family members who you thought wasn't going to make it is here!"

_I wonder who that could be, Maddie thought, maybe grandma! But she is after all having hip-replacement surgery…_

Nevertheless, Maddie watched the door eagerly to see who it was. Then the door opened slowly and a 19 year old boy walked out: none other that Liam Fitzpatrick, a wand pointed straight at Maddie's chest.

"Liam!" exclaimed Maddie, "what are you doing here? I haven't seen you in 6 years!"

"Oh, I'm just here to mix things up a bit," he replied, advancing on her with the wand. She finally seemed to notice the wand in his grip and gasped. "Oh," he said, glancing down at his wand, "turns out I actually am a wizard, though of course muggle-born. But Lord Voldemort didn't seem to mind. I still get to be a Death Eater."

"What?" she exclaimed and many around them gasped. Robert stood up. "You mean to tell me that in the 6 years since you disappeared you've been working for Voldemort?"

"More like working _with _Voldemort," he replied smugly, 'but for the most part, yes.

"But anyway Maddie, you never did tell me you were getting married. I never got to say whether I approved of your marriage or not."

He just kept moving forward, with that wand raised and an evil look in his eyes.

"But luckily, there was a wizard who invented a spell just for this kind of occasion," he said excitedly, the same kind of controlled excitement that Robert had expressed when he told them about Philotic Physics, except his tone was more sinister. "A spell that destroys Philotic bonds. Shall I demonstrate? _PHILOS XENUM_!"

Everything seemed to happen at once. The spell didn't seem to have a color or a jet, but a metallic sound could be heard as the spell made contact. However, it did not make contact with Zack or Maddie, because Robert had jumped in front of them.

Robert fell to the floor and just lay there, unconscious. Liam looked slightly amused that he had caused this effect. It took a few seconds for people to notice that Rachel was also lying unconscious on the floor near the tables. Someone ran out of the crowd of people brandishing a wand, and slashed a red cross into the sky. A few seconds after it disappeared, six white-faced healers appeared out of thin air with two stretchers. They levitated Robert and Rachel onto them, then turned on the spot and disappeared.

"Come on," said the man who had run out of the crowd to Zack and Maddie, "I'll apparate you to the hospital."


	3. Chapter 3

"_Come on," said the man who had run out of the crowd to Zack and Maddie, "I'll apparate you to the hospital."_

They held out their hands and he turned on the spot, and they appeared in the atrium of St. Mungo's hospital. Everything was in chaos. Everyone had obviously just seen the healers carry Robert and Rachel in. The man led them up a flight of stairs and into what looked like it could be an in-patient unit. However, only two of the beds were occupied, one by Rachel, whom no one was around and who was lying there quite too still for comfort, and one by Robert, who had all six healers around his bed. Maddie let out a breath of relief when she saw him moving weakly. As she looked around the room, she also noticed Bailey, Cody, Carrie, and Arwin, but also four other pairs of people she didn't recognize. They all looked about as shaken as did Zack and Maddie, so they could only assume that they were people Robert had saved the lives of before.

"Is my brother going to be okay?" said the man who had brought Zack and Maddie shakily.

"I don't know Necedah," said the solemn-faced healer at the head of the group, as Robert began to stir. "Most people don't even survive the initial hit, let alone even 30 minutes after it. But I think it would be in everybody's best interests if we just left you alone with him for a while."

They left then, and the man at the back waved his wand and a soft humming sound began.

"What's going to happen?" asked Maddie anxiously, "what did Liam even do to you?"

"What Liam used is classified as an Unforgivable Curse, a little known one called Philos Xenum," answered Necedah, even though Robert had looked as if he was about to talk. "It was created by Maryam Philo's greatest rival, Ahmed Mustafa. It cuts philotic bonds, of any kind or distinction, depending on a thought-designated process. But it also creates an energy backlash, which usually kills both people immediately, and, if not contained, the cutting of an Origin-pair bond releases energy into the surrounding environment equal to hundreds of times the strength of an atomic bomb."

"Why is no one taking care of Rachel?" asked Maddie, still in that anxious tone, "why isn't she moving?"

"Maddie," said Robert; it was scary how much effort it seemed to take him to speak. "Rachel is dead. She died as soon as the curse hit me."

Maddie started sobbing. "I can't believe we've done this to you," she cried, "We've ruined your life!"

"This is the thing I've devoted my life to," he said with great effort. "You never made me jump in front of that curse."

The humming sound got slightly higher. He turned to the other Origin-pairs and directed his next words to all of them as a whole.

"I've spent my life trying to protect people with these special bonds like yours. Just because I die doesn't mean the world has lost hope. Most of you are wizards or witches, and even if you aren't, you can still fight what is to come in quieter resistance, and also philotic energy. And I know something is coming. As soon as I die, and I don't have much time left, I believe the first thing Voldemort will try to do is assassinate the British Prime Minister, and then the American President. Help in whatever resistances you can. You are my successors to spread good in this crippled world."

The humming was reaching a climax.

Now he turned to Zack and Maddie again. "You know that Rachel and I have an infant son, right? I am entrusting him to you two. Treat him as one of your own.

"Just one last thing. Always remember this one little thing," he whispered, "something from Victor Hugo: 'to love another person is to see the face of God.'"

And with that, he died. The Caterwauling Charm that had been slowly building began to scream with full force. The solemn-faced healers came back in and deactivated the charm. They then left. Maddie began crying into Zack's shoulder. He put an arm around her waist and led her out of the hospital after the others. Not just the Origin-pairs, either, but most of the staff. They walked out and saw others gathering in the square. As they reached the middle, they drew their wands and made memorial fireworks burst out of them. The Origin-pairs raised their arms and let out huge bursts of philotic energy, that magic beyond all else. The sky was alight with this memorial.

Things would be different now. Though how different, only time would tell.


	4. Chapter 4

_Things would be different now. Though how different, only time would tell._

New York City, 16 years later

"Avada Kedavra!" yelled the Inspector, watching as the muggle man before him crumpled to the ground. "Thought you could escape from us, did you?" he said turning to the mother and her two children, "stupid muggles. Avada Kedavra!"

The woman died, painlessly and without any signs of a fight.

Things had most definitely changed in the ten years since Robert had died. His predictions, for the most part, had come true. The first thing that happened is that Voldemort had overthrown the English Prime Minister and completely taken over the governments, both wizard and muggle, of England. America, having no wizard government, was their next target. Voldemort sent Brujon, Harley, and Liam to attack the White House. They killed the President and took over America. Voldemort put Liam in charge of the huge country. A few months later, Voldemort, without his Horcruxes, was killed in a revolution. Liam seized power there too.

Liam carried out Lord Voldemort's original plan to kill all the muggles and muggle-borns. He hired a special task force called the Inspectors, which went around killing all the muggles and muggle-borns they could find. With Robert dead, there were only a few straggling wizards and witches to defend them.

Suddenly, a masked boy appeared in front of the muggle children. "You'll regret that," he spat at the Inspector, "Evacium Maxima!"

The man's heart started beating so fast that they could hear it. He gasped, gave the boy a look of purest hatred, and turned on the spot, disappearing.

The boy turned to the newly made orphans, who backed away. "Don't worry," he said removing his mask. "I'm here to help you." He held out his hands. "Let me apparate you away from here." Cautiously, they held out their hands. He spun on the spot and they appeared near a factory. He led them down a narrow alley. When they came out, they were in front of a run-down theater: the remains of the Ambassador Theater. Inside was a small group of people, and beds pushed up against the wall.

"More for us?" said an elderly woman coming out from the crowd.

"Yes, these two," said the boy, "Their parents were killed by an Inspector."

"You are a saint for this, Samuel," said the woman, "God bless you."

"Thank you."

He left, waving to the children. He heard the woman behind him ask their names and where they came from as he left the small, magically hidden orphanage. These had been set up by the resistance for children of those who were killed by the Inspectors. These were muggles and wizards alike; many half-bloods and pure-bloods were orphaned by the Inspectors as well. Samuel was an example. His parents were killed when he was no more that a baby, and his foster parents, Zachary and Madeline Martin, had been murdered by a high up Death Eater named Harley for supporting the muggles.

As Samuel walked out of the little alley, he bumped into someone. He hurriedly drew his wand before noticing the figure he had collided with was a girl of his own age (all the Inspectors were male and had to be at least 30). As he looked at her he was dazzled, feeling like some part of had just died on the spot, yet another had scarcely begun.

"Sorry," she mumbled, and though she tried to hide it, she looked just as dazzled as him. "I—"

"Andromeda!" yelled a voice from the small factory, "your break is over! Get the hell back in here!"

"I have to go," she mumbled, and she scurried off.

He watched her go, longingly. Then he turned on the spot and disappeared.


	5. Chapter 5

"Boston is in rebellion," said one of the boys to Mark, "all the muggles and muggle-borns have joined with a few straggling wizards and witches and they're raising hell. There are even some reports they burned down the Massachusetts Statehouse. Apparently, historical significance or not, they've pretty much had it with organized government."

"Sacramento is doing the same," said another boy, "the California State Capitol building is in ruins."

"All well and good," said a third, "but we must focus on the grand prize: Washington, D.C. If we claim the capital and kill Liam, we can organize the rest of the country and try to make a recovery."

The little revolutionist group stationed in the run-down building of Stuyvesant High School had been planning this master attack on Washington, D.C. for weeks. Just five of them, all 16 year old half-blood wizard boys, were some of the only wizards remaining in New York City. Most others had fled to unoccupied areas such as Saudi Arabia, which was currently leading the Arab countries in the worlds largest scale rebellion against Liam and his Death Eaters under the guidance of Majidah Philo, the daughter of Maryam Philo, the critically acclaimed Philotic Physicist.

"Washington, D.C. will not be that easy to take," said Mark, the generally accepted leader of the group. "It might have been only the home of the American President before, but now it is the home of the dictators of both America and England. It's bound to be swarming with Death Eaters from the moment one enters the city, and we would have to penetrate to its very center, the White House."

"By the way, has anybody seen Samuel?" said the second boy, "I know he was out stopping Inspectors, but he's never been late before…"

Just then, Samuel happened to appear in the center of the room, a dazed expression on his face.

"Sam!" exclaimed Mark, "Where have you been? Are you okay? You like you've just seen a ghost."

"Maybe," Samuel mumbled walking the other side of the room, still with that dazed expression, "She seemed just like a ghost to me."

"Sam," said Mark, "you've never been late before, and when you finally are, you walk in here talking about some girl. We're trying to stage a high level rebellion, and all you think about is a girl you've never even seen before!"

"You just don't get it," he said detachedly. "Perhaps if you had been there, you'd understand."

"Sam, we can't afford to be children anymore," said Mark in a scolding voice, "that luxury was lost with Robert Schaffer."

Samuel gave a little jolt with the name of his father. Mark did not appear to notice.

Then they heard shouting from below. They ran to see what was going on.

"Let me through, let me through!" a small voice was yelling. "I'm not an Inspector!"

The five children ran down to see one of the street boys, Tom, struggling against a plant which was trying to strangle him.

"Relashio!" said Mark, and the plant let him go. "What is it Tom?"

"I've got bad news," he said solemnly. "Majidah Philo is dead. The Arab rebellion against Liam has stopped. Virtually no one is fighting anymore."

"No!" said Mark, "Saudi Arabia was our last hope! This is it! This is the sign we must show to the people of New York City! This is the sign we shall use to rally them together, and form an army! Yes, we shall attack the White House; we shall not let Majidah Philo die in vain! Come on, let us go!"

They walked out into the streets and started calling out the news of the death of Majidah Philo. The people started getting up and following the revolutionary band, and soon their followers had multiplied their number by eight. In the hustle and bustle, Sam slipped out of the group and ran off towards the factory where Andromeda worked.


	6. Chapter 6

The workers of the William Parker Bead Factory were working diligently. They were only making beads, but they worked extremely to make their way. Many of them were the children of muggles or muggle-borns who had been killed by Inspectors. Those who were hid their identity from the owner and the foreman, a vengeful man who had showed an interest in the young girls of the factory, especially Andromeda.

Andromeda was, admittedly, very pretty. Brown-blond hair and brown eyes were attractive at that time as much as they are now. The other girls, although definitely not envious of the type of attention Andromeda was getting, were envious that she got attention in the first place.

Although he did not yet know it, Samuel had more in common with Andromeda than most people could have claimed. For she was harboring a secret parentage as well. She knew that her parents had been an Origin-pair, though all that she knew of what that meant was that the people involved loved each other very much (the public did not know very much about Philotic Physics), and that they had both been killed by Death Eaters. She also knew their names: Cody and Bailey Martin. She knew all this from her foster parents and from a letter from them that she always carried around with her. The letter contained no more than a simple farewell. Although she knew she was a muggle-born witch (for she and all the other factory workers were witches), she pretended she was half-blood.

Now Samuel reached the factory and looked in through the window. He could see Andromeda and he got there just in time to see a factory girl provoke a fight with her. Andromeda was reading the letter from her parents, because she missed them today, it having been her sixteenth birthday today.

"What's this?" asked the factory girl, "a letter from your muggle parents?" And she grabbed the letter.

"Oh, what do we have here?" said the girl excitedly, '_Dear Andromeda, we are writing to tell you that we will not see you again. We are sorry you never got to know us, being only two months, but we know you will emulate us in every way. Signed, your loving parents…' _Oh, and what's this? Looks like 'R&R'. Like as in Robert and Rachel? Foreman! Come look at this!"

The sour-faced foreman came over and grabbed the letter. He scanned it quickly, and then his eyes grew wide. "Could that be 'R&R'?" he said looking at the terrified girl. "You are Andromeda Schaffer! Inspector!"

One of the two guards came over. "I have found the daughter of Robert Schaffer!" said the foreman, "this letter she carries with her is signed 'R&R'! She is hiding her identity!"

The Inspector grabbed her roughly. "You're coming to the courts!" he said, and dragged her off.

Samuel watched from the window, dumbfounded. As soon as the Inspector had dragged Andromeda towards the courthouse, he ran after them.

The question of the court system, I think, requires a short explanation. There was but one court left in the United States, located in New York City, called the High Court. The High Judge headed this court, and no one else had any say in the matter. Also, the High Judge was Brujon Bliese. That pretty much sums up the whole damn affair in one go.

"Andromeda Schaffer," said Brujon evilly, "you have been found to be the daughter of Robert Schaffer. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"I'm not Schaffer's daughter! I don't have any idea how you've come to that conclusion!"

"This letter, signed '_your loving parents, R&R_', proves your guilt," responded Brujon, "you yourself have said that you are half-blood, which Robert's child would have to be, and you are of the right age, sixteen, and therefore fit the description perfectly. As another detail, it says '_being only 2 months_' and we know for a fact that Robert's child was 2 months old when he died."

"I'm telling you, that doesn't say 'R&R', it says 'C&B'! Those are my parents, and I am no child of Robert's!"

Watching from the courthouse window, Samuel was having an internal struggle. The way he felt about Andromeda, he had never felt about anyone else. But at the same time, he knew if he revealed his true identity, he would have the death penalty, and right now at least he had only attacked an Inspector, which was a ten year's prison sentence. But no, he could not let this girl die for him!

"Andromeda Schaffer, I sentence you to execution by knife," said Brujon, "Inspector, you may do the honors."

"STOP!" yelled Samuel, pushing open the door, "I will tell the truth! I am Samuel Schaffer!"

"WHAT?" exclaimed Brujon, "GRAB HIM!"

But Samuel was too quick. He pointed his wand at Andromeda's handcuffs and yelled "RELASHIO!" and they fell off. He ran across the room grabbed Andromeda's arm, and turned on the spot, disappearing.


	7. Chapter 7

They reappeared near Stuyvesant. They both were breathing heavily. They looked at each other and felt another jolt of unexplainable energy.

"You just saved my life," said Andromeda pointedly, "although at the same time you've just endangered your own. Why?"

"First of all, I wasn't lying; Robert really was my father, though I never really got to know him. But more importantly, I think I'm not alone in that feeling I get when I see you," said Samuel, "If you know what I mean."

"I know exactly what you mean," she said and she reached up and pulled his face close to hers. Their lips met. They just stayed that way for a good thirty seconds before they broke apart.

"I've never known a feeling like that," said Andromeda, "like to see the face of god."  
"That's what I was thinking," said Samuel, and then they were kissing again.

This time, they weren't broken apart until there was a loud noise from around the corner. They broke apart and both whipped out wands. Samuel looked a little surprised she had a wand, but there were more pressing matters at hand: 3 Inspectors had just rounded the corner.

"Ah, so not only are you convicts, but also revolutionaries?" said on of the Inspectors.

"How did you know this is the revolutionary base?" demanded Samuel.

"We have our ways," said a second, "but you have bigger problems now. AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Andromeda acted quickly and pushed Samuel out of the way. But just as the spell was about to hit her, Samuel yelled "AURENCICATE!"

The killing curse was obliterated and a golden light expanded from the spot directly in between Andromeda and Samuel. When they could see again the Inspectors were on the floor, unconscious.

"What the hell was that?" asked Andromeda.

"Something my foster parents showed me," responded Samuel, "they knew my father and mother and they showed that to me when they found out I was a wizard. I never really knew what it was, but I guess it's some kind of protective charm.

"More importantly, we'd better get out of here before they wake up!" he continued. "Come on!"

They ran off towards the crowd they could see growing on the other side, and towards the recognizable voice of Mark Francis.

"The time is now! We must stamp out the oppressive government with the foot of the people! We will purge the insignia of "Magic is Might" from the halls of the White House! Every person, magical or non-magical, is equal, and should be treated as such! We shall show them that an army of non-magical persons will overthrow, nay, easily overthrow, our enemy's magical army!" Mark's powerful voice reached all the ears of every man woman and child in the audience of about fifty. He had a way with rally speaking, and there was also the cold hard fact of Majidah Philo's death that drove them. I feel compelled to note now that although the years described here were hellish and horrible, the world had come together in a way that it had never been united before. The Arab countries were, after 16 years of misery, as good allies of the American people as had been France and England before.

Mark now went on. "Even if you cannot use magic, we can compensate that. There are magical objects called Energized Crystals, crystals imbued with magical energy. If every person without a wand here could have two, they would be unstoppable. Now, they are slightly rare, but the statehouse in Albany has a stock of about a hundred of them. If we can raid the statehouse, we will have all the tools we need to attack Washington, D.C. I propose we attack the statehouse tomorrow in the early hours of the morning. How many people have wands here?"

About a half of them raised their hands. "Good then," said Mark. "Each person with a wand will apparate one person without one. We meet back here at 6 am. Long live the people!"

Everybody cheered. Then they all scurried off in different directions. When the crowd finally cleared of all but Mark, the other three boys, Samuel, Tom, and Andromeda, Mark noticed Samuel and came running over.

"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded. "We thought you'd been captured!"

"Never mind that," said Samuel, "We've found out some things. First of all, the Inspectors know this is our base."

"What?" exclaimed Mark, "But we were so careful! If anyone walks within two blocks of this place without our permission, they forget why they were coming and turn around!"

"I don't know how; all they said was that they have their ways."

"By the way, who are you exactly?" Mark asked Andromeda.

"Andromeda," she said plainly, throwing his attitude right back in his face.

"Hold on, Sam," said Mark, "Is this the girl you were going on about before?"

Samuel's face went red. "I guess so then," Mark laughed, and then he stopped and looked serious. "Sam, we don't have any time to be childish. Do you realize that we're planning a full scale attack on the New York Statehouse?"

"The New York Statehouse? I've been there," said Andromeda, "I went there with my foster parents when I was six. That was before they had actually succeeded in taking over the US."

"Well, well," said Mark, "You wouldn't happen to remember any of it, would you? Because I don't know about ten years ago, but now you can't just walk in and grab a floor plan you know."

"Oh, I still have all those things," said Andromeda, pulling out a small pamphlet. "We were hardly able to go places like that, so I have most of the small souvenirs from that time."

"Wow!" said Mark, taking the pamphlet. "This is better than anything we could have asked for!" Then he stopped himself, and looked guiltily at Andromeda. "Sorry for before," he said "Maybe Sam wasn't misguided after all."

"And maybe you should trust your friends more," she responded coldly. Now it was Mark's face that went red. He ran off to the others with the piece of paper in his hand. Andromeda and Samuel looked at each other and laughed.

"I feel like I know all these people already," she said. "Odd, isn't it?"

"I don't know," responded Samuel, "All I know is that the moment I saw you I felt as if I had known you my whole life."

"Might as well be," she muttered and leaned up to kiss him. Luckily, Mark and the others were too busy to notice.


End file.
